“I become like a completely different dude”: Ian Somerhalder Was Scared He’d “offend a lot of people” by Spilling a ‘The Vampire Diaries’ Secret

SUMMARY

• Ian Somerhalder was asked in an interview about his process for getting into character as Damon Salvatore.
• Somerhalder jokingly refused to share the secret, saying it might "offend a lot of people."
• Despite not sharing the secret, Somerhalder did discuss how he approached Damon's "badass quality" and channeled it for the show.

While The Vampire Diaries is famous for the storylines it brought about and the numerous spin-offs it spawned, it is also rather famous for the star-studded ensemble of Hollywood heartthrobs who led the show. This especially includes Ian Somerhalder, who embodied Damon Salvatore and pretty much seems like his real-life counterpart (minus the sociopathic killing, of course).

Ian Somerhalder as Damon Salvatore. | Credits: The Vampire Diaries / The CW.

That said, there was a time when the actor ostensibly felt rather scared he might end up offending quite a lot of his fans if he confessed one secret about working on the smash-hit supernatural series. And, for the record, this secret was about how he prepared himself to get into his badass heartthrob character’s mind — something that might as well remain a mystery forever.

Ian Somerhalder was scared to confess how he adapted to Damon’s mindset

Throughout the eight seasons spread across 171 episodes released over the course of eight years that the series aired, Ian Somerhalder perfectly embodied the cocky and badass Damon Salvatore. And yet, never once did he confess what exactly he went through to channel his inner Damon and climb into his onscreen character’s mind.

Ian Somerhalder as Damon Salvatore. | Credits: The Vampire Diaries / The CW.

But he did come close to talking about it. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, where he answered questions from PopWatch readers, the 46-year-old actor was asked if there was something special he did to get into Damon’s mind. To this, Somerhalder teased, chuckling,

On getting further probed by the interviewer, he did reveal something, though it wasn’t how he prepared to get into the onscreen heartthrob’s frame of mind. Initially joking about it, he said,

Damon goes into some weird places, and you wouldn’t have that conversation with your girlfriend’s mother, ’cause she would never let you back into the house.

Then he steered the conversation his way by sharing how he felt after getting into his character’s appearance. Somerhalder said:

He then also pointed out how he was “envious” of his co-star Josh Holloway on Lost because of this very reason, as he got to say the “cool stuff,” before adding, “It’s always so fun to watch, even if it’s someone you don’t necessarily like, you still want to hear what they have to say and the way they say it. They truly mean what they’re saying, even if it’s demented and wrong.”

Ian Somerhalder as Damon Salvatore. | Credits: The Vampire Diaries / The CW.

Well, that explains how he managed to perfectly channel Damon Salvatore to the core — so perfectly that fans worldwide have been struggling to fall out of love with him ever since, even though it has been years since the show got off the air. But while he didn’t reveal the offensive thing that got into his climbing into Damon’s mind, he did reveal something else along similar lines.

Ian Somerhalder revealed how he approached Damon’s ‘badass quality’

While the one thing that the actor felt might “offend a lot of people” that went into his getting into his The Vampire Diaries character’s head might forever remain a mystery, Ian Somerhalder did talk in depth about how he approached Damon’s ‘badass quality’ and channeled it for the screens. Talking to IESB at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour, he shed light on the same, saying (via Vampire Diaries Source):

Ian Somerhalder as Damon Salvatore. | Credits: The Vampire Diaries / The CW.

Continuing, he also added how he “appreciates” Damon, adding that he “can’t judge him, even though sometimes that’s a bit difficult, due to his actions.” But, in a nutshell, he feels Damon is “doing all of this for love, strangely enough, and he thinks he’s just completely justified.” All of this, in turn, made it “such a great experience and such a fun thing to do” for Somerhalder, so we might as well let the how-to-get-into-Damon’s-head thing go.

You can stream The Vampire Diaries on Netflix.

Written by Mahin Sultan

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